Failure modes of slender wind-loaded cylindrical shells

摘要

The paper presents the failure patterns of wind-loaded, slender, thin walled; circular cylindrical steel shells. These modes are distinctly different from those of shells with slenderness rations h/r < 15. The structural analyses regarding geometrical and physical non-linearities reveal three different forms of instability in the range of h/r>15 and r/t<400. The main failure pattern of the slender wind-loaded cylindrical steel shell in the transition range from beam to shell is characterized by lee-ward buckling in the base area. Very slender and thin walled shells however dent at the lee-ward side up to 60percent of the height. On relatively squat and thin walled sheels luff-ward buckling processes occur in the upper half of the shell before further loading leads to system collapse in one of the two modes previously mentioned.